Did you ever receive an attachment or a file from someone that you could not open because you did not have the correct application loaded on your computer? Ever need to change the file format of a video or audio file so that you could import it into another application?

If you have answered yes to any of the questions above, then Zamzar (zamzar.com) is the web site for you. This site is a virtual Swiss Army knife to allow you to convert from one file format to another, for free.

To convert a file, you start with step one and locate your file. You then proceed to step two, where you select the file type that you want to change it to. Supported types include:

Image -  bmp, gif,  jpeg, tiff,

Document – Word, html,  Rich Text, pdf, PowerPoint, Text, Word Perfect, Excel

Music -iTunes, mp3, ogg, Windows Media

Video -  avi, mpeg4,Flash Video, iPod, iPhone, Windows Movie, Windows Media

Complete step 3, entering in your email address and click on the button in step 4 to convert. When it is done, you will receive an email with instructions on how to download the new file.

It is that easy.

They also have a new service which I have not tried, which will allow you to save and convert a YouTube video, so you do not have to be online to show it.